Microsoft has no plans to release a new service pack (SP) for Windows 7. Sources at Microsoft's engineering team told The Register that breaking precedent (of releasing a new SP every 2 or so years), Microsoft will not release SP2 (service pack 2) for the operating system. Apart from being a collection of important software updates over a period, a service pack allows Microsoft to introduce major updates to key components of the operating system, such as its kernel. Apparently, Microsoft's Windows team is too busy with Windows 8, and it is observed that by choosing to not release an SP, Microsoft could be pushing users to its newer OS. Instead of newer SPs for Windows 7, Microsoft will release timely updates for Windows 7 SP1 over Windows Update, till the operating system's support lifetime runs out (that's January 2020).

Great MS , So you've decided that buying ONE of your OS's isn't enough?
We{consumer} need to Re-up our OS as SOON as you put out a New one? Bull Sh@t!
I JUST installed 7 on my New PC build , about 8 month's ago , and till then I ran XP from it's beginning. Some people Don't want the New Software , we just want What is Comfortable , and Easiest/Familiar. IMO , this is a VERY Scummy move by MS , I am unsure as to how much of an effect it will have on the performance of 7, but if it is a Large negative impact , then I would say I definitely stand behind my Previous statement's.If not , well then I guess it's not such a big deal. Although as a final thought , a Company need's to realize that keeping up the support for their product's is the MAIN goal , and developing new product's is a Secondary Goal. Atleast as far as Customer /Software support is concerned.

they'll do it....windows 7 has become to popular for them not to. When millions of people stay on 7 like they did with xp instead of going to 8 like Microsoft planned.... they will then do it.... it just might be a little later than expected.

The fact that MS has pulled all resources from W7 and put them onto W8... yet W8 is already launched today/tomorrow, then it means that WINDOWS 8 IS AS BUGGY AS HELL and they need all hands on deck to get a SP out for W8 asap.

Oh well, then i'll keep Windows 7 for gaming and Ubuntu for daily use. Mr. Ballmer, that's an excellent way to get rid of your customers. I'll get a glass of some best whiskey in case if something bad happens to you.

The fact that MS has pulled all resources from W7 and put them onto W8... yet W8 is already launched today/tomorrow, then it means that WINDOWS 8 IS AS BUGGY AS HELL and they need all hands on deck to get a SP out for W8 asap.

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Aside from the hit/miss installation process, Win8 seemed stable enough for me when I was using the CP. Most of the other issues were fixed by installing appropriate Win8 Drivers
Nah, if you asked me, it's just MS phasing out Win7 early. Reception of Win8 isn't fully guaranteed to be positive, so they are giving existing Win7 users another reason to upgrade.

Mind you, as long as security patches keep on coming, few people will change their minds about 7. At least till 8 gets a year's worth of patches and fixes. It is a fine OS, even though I personally dislike the GUI and the boot sequence.

they'll do it....windows 7 has become to popular for them not to. When millions of people stay on 7 like they did with xp instead of going to 8 like Microsoft planned.... they will then do it.... it just might be a little later than expected.

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Agreed im sure they will at some point.

Not that im worried as they say it will be continued to be updated till 2020 and by then we will have Windows 12

I'm so glad that Windows 8 is going to be a disaster for Microsoft. They deserve disaster, every once in a while, for being dirty and unfair. Learning Linux for some time now, just hope that support for games will get better, interface already is, so I can ditch Microsoft for good...

I'm so glad that Windows 8 is going to be a disaster for Microsoft. They deserve disaster, every once in a while, for being dirty and unfair. Learning Linux for some time now, just hope that support for games will get better, interface already is, so I can ditch Microsoft for good...

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Linux has been out for how long and it hasnt gained steam or even became a defacto.

MS definitely would be smart to put the Aero Desktop back in for those who like it that way and those who like metro to keep it. Not force it like they are, MS tried this crap with Vista and it made them impromptu replace the OS with 7 which most actually like.

And once again, everyone is making a mountain out of a mole-hill for this complete non news. People are so quick to forget what the SP1 was for Windows 7. Just all of the previous updates combined into SP1 - nothing more, nothing less. There was no major fixes involved. And the way it was currently going all SP2 would have been would have a collection of all the updates post-SP1.

This isn't some vast conspiracy of Microsoft trying to push you to Windows 8 by stopping support for Windows 7 (it has support until 2020 at least), this is just a different philsophy in updates. Compare it to something like the new Rapid Release schedule of Firefox. Instead of releasing one major version every year or so, and thus causing feature additions to be delayed till they could be added with the major release (even if the feature was ready for months now) they now release them every 6 weeks as the new additions and features become available.

This is the equivalent of that. Instead bottling everything up in major Service Pack updates, they'll be releasing the same updates and same performance enhancements and same security patches they always have, just on a more rapid schedule. Anyone who is bemoaning this move has no idea what they're talking about. This changes nothing, except allowing Microsoft to iterate the major updates even faster than before.

Linux has been out for how long and it hasnt gained steam or even became a defacto.

MS definitely would be smart to put the Aero Desktop back in for those who like it that way and those who like metro to keep it. Not force it like they are, MS tried this crap with Vista and it made them impromptu replace the OS with 7 which most actually like.

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Without the changes brought about in Windows Vista, we wouldn't have Windows 7. All of the driver headaches by switching to WDDM hardened graphics drivers, the HWA UI, the new font rendering, etc that all work so flawlessly in Windows 7 are all thanks them being introduced in Vista. Vista forced - especially the Graphics companies - developers to update their applications and driver utilities to work with the more modern system. Even though many (*Cough*Creative*Cough*) companies just decided to abandon and start from scratch it was because of those teething issues that we got such a stable and such a smooth OS like Windows 7. "First steps are always the hardest" is what comes to mind.

To me all a service pack means is less rebooting when installing updates on a fresh install, so while it's a convience factor, as long as the updates continue, I guess I don't mind them not rolling it all up into a service pack, though something tells me popular pressure like with XP will make them cave.

Without the changes brought about in Windows Vista, we wouldn't have Windows 7. All of the driver headaches by switching to WDDM hardened graphics drivers, the HWA UI, the new font rendering, etc that all work so flawlessly in Windows 7 are all thanks them being introduced in Vista. Vista forced - especially the Graphics companies - developers to update their applications and driver utilities to work with the more modern system. Even though many (*Cough*Creative*Cough*) companies just decided to abandon and start from scratch it was because of those teething issues that we got such a stable and such a smooth OS like Windows 7. "First steps are always the hardest" is what comes to mind.

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Win 98 was the first to introduce WDM, so you might say WDDM was a evolution of that. I supposedly heard that certain functions that were In XP but missing in Vista/7 are returning (Namely for Audio and Sound functions, perhaps Direct Sound and EAX?)

Great MS , So you've decided that buying ONE of your OS's isn't enough?
We{consumer} need to Re-up our OS as SOON as you put out a New one? Bull Sh@t!
I JUST installed 7 on my New PC build , about 8 month's ago , and till then I ran XP from it's beginning. Some people Don't want the New Software , we just want What is Comfortable , and Easiest/Familiar. IMO , this is a VERY Scummy move by MS , I am unsure as to how much of an effect it will have on the performance of 7, but if it is a Large negative impact , then I would say I definitely stand behind my Previous statement's.If not , well then I guess it's not such a big deal. Although as a final thought , a Company need's to realize that keeping up the support for their product's is the MAIN goal , and developing new product's is a Secondary Goal. Atleast as far as Customer /Software support is concerned.

Great MS , So you've decided that buying ONE of your OS's isn't enough?
We{consumer} need to Re-up our OS as SOON as you put out a New one? Bull Sh@t!
I JUST installed 7 on my New PC build , about 8 month's ago , and till then I ran XP from it's beginning. Some people Don't want the New Software , we just want What is Comfortable , and Easiest/Familiar. IMO , this is a VERY Scummy move by MS , I am unsure as to how much of an effect it will have on the performance of 7, but if it is a Large negative impact , then I would say I definitely stand behind my Previous statement's.If not , well then I guess it's not such a big deal. Although as a final thought , a Company need's to realize that keeping up the support for their product's is the MAIN goal , and developing new product's is a Secondary Goal. Atleast as far as Customer /Software support is concerned.

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First calm down . .. .

Second they will still be providing updates, all this means is they won't be bundled into giant updates, this is far from the end of the world you acting it to be like.:shadedshu